Animal trap



Mar. 3; 1925.

1528;270 J. P. SCHUCKMAN ANIMAL TRAP Filed June 2. 192 2 sheets-sheet 1'IIE-l ea" 5 I {I gmwwboz flaw/nap Mar. 3, 1925. 1,528,270

J. P. SCHUCKMAN ANIMAL TRAP Filed June 2. 1924 ZSheets-Sheet 2 F CPatented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN P. SCHUCKMAN, OF WICHITA, KANSAS.

ANIMAL TRAP.

Application filed June 2, 1924. Serial No. 717,339.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN P. SOHUGKMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal Traps; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in traps designed primarily'forcatching rats, and one of the principal objects of the invention is toprovide an improved form of sanitary rat trap which is of more simpleconstruction than, yet is equally advantageous as the'traps shown by myprior Pa tents Nos. 1,255,798 and 1,461,681.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subjectmatter hereinafter described and claimed, the description beingsupplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a top plan view.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views as indicated by lines 2-2, 33and44 of Fig. 1.

Figures 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views on lines 55 and 66 ofFig. 2.

Figure 7 is a. detail longitudinal sectional view on line 77 of Fig.

Figure 8 is a detail vertical section partly in elevation showing one ofthe vertical tubes which limit the outward springing of a pair ofresilient, converging walls at the inlet of the trap cage.

Figure 9 is a sectional perspective view. showing the manner of securinga transverse partition, hereinafter described, within the cage.

Figure 10 is a detail vertical sectional view as indicated by line10--10 of Fig. 9.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates arectangular cage preferably formed of woven galvanized wire, said cagebeing entirely open at its front end, while its rear end is closed by awall 2 whose edges are preferably bent outwardly and secured against theinner sides of the cage top, bottom and side walls, by strips of metal3, passed through the meshes of the wire and having their ends bentagainst each other.

A pair of woven wire walls 4 converge inwardly from the open end of thecake 1 rat or other animal may readily force his way inwardly betweensaid walls, the latter then springing outwardly.

Spaced outwardly from the inner end por tions of the walls 4, are twovertical tubes 7 whose ends abut the top and bottom of the cage 1 andprevent them from being bent inwardly and interfering with propermovement of said walls. Pieces of wire 8-ar'e passed through the tubes'Tand connected with the meshes of the cage top and bottom, as shownmost clearly in Fig. 8. These pieces of wire tie the top and bottom ofthe cage against spreading and they also hold the tubes 7 in place sothat they will limit the outward movement of the walls 4, and the lattercan not therefore be manually forced outwardly to an extent to impairthe resiliency which always returnsthem to the position of Fig. 1, afteran animal has entered the trap.

A vertical transverse wire partition 9 is secured in the cage 1 inrearwardly' spaced relation to the walls 4, this partition being formedwith a door opening 10 adjacent one vertical side wall of said cage.Preferably, the edges of the partition 9 are bent laterally andconnected with the walls of the cage 1 by "clips 11. A verticallongitudinal partition 12 extends from the partition 9 to the rear endwall 2 of the cage and from the top to the bottom of said cage, saidpartition being disposed at the inner edge'of the door opening 10. Ad-

jacent itsrear end, this partition is also formed with a dooropeningindicated at 13. To form this partition and at the same time to providea rectangular opening in the top of the cage 1, the cage top ispreferably cut on two parallel transverse lines adjacent the partition 9and the end wall 2 and on one longitudinal line extending along theupper edge of one vertical side wall of the cage, and the wire withinbending certain wires at thelower-ed'geo't the partition, around themeshes of the cage bottom.

Insertable and removable through the 7 above described opening in thetop of the cage 1,-is {an auxiliary cage 15 which-extends -from thepartition 9 to the rear end wall 2 and from the partition 12 tothe sidewall of the cage'1-re1note therefrom. This cage 15 is formed with adoor'opening 1 6 normally registering with the opening 18 and isprovided with-a vertically sl-idable door-17, by means o-t'wh-ichsaidopening '16-may be closed. The cage -15 is;preterably equipped witha solid sheet =11'l6t2tl *bottom 18 and is divided horizontally, abovethis bottom'by a wooden-floor 19'having-a notch 20 in one-end. Any-ratsorthe like enteringthe cage 15, Willclim-b almost immediately throughthe notch 20 onto the wooden floor 19, as they much ;preter to stand onwood instead of metal. Thus, the lower portion of the cage 15 is alwaysclear to receive another animal caught-in the trap.

Extending between the partition -9 and the r-ear end wall 2 of the cage1,-andalso fromthelongitudinal partition=12 tothe adjacent vertical sidewall ofsaid cage, is'a horizontal partition2l which may well be formedof woodand secured to said verticalside waIlandthepartition 12, bystaples 22 (Fig. -7 This horizontal partition carriesa pivoted-one-way gate2'3 which is located between the door openings 10 and 13, and saidpartition :preterably carries a U-shaped metal strap 2& which engagesthe bottom of the cage 1,'on e side wall of .the latter, and thepartition 12 preventing said :partitionand side wall from being bentinwardly and'interferin'g with proper'actuation of t-l1e;:gate. Theedges of the metal strip 24 are preferably bent or corrugatedsufiiciently to stiflen them against easy--bend- 1H0.

suitable bait container 25 is carried'by the partition 9-and isaccessible-through an opening in the top'of the cage 1, which opening isindicated at '26. This openi ng'is *normallyclosedby a door 27'which-isprovided with-an appropriatedatch 28. The part 29 shownadjacent one endof the door 27, in Figs. 1 and 2, is a carrying handle for the entiretrap. A simi l ar han'dle 30 is provided on the auxiliary cage 15.

A strip ofwood 31 preferably rests on the bottom of the cage1,'between-the walls 4 and extends inwardly therefrom to't he partition9, it having been found that ratswi-ll enter the'trap more readily ifthey walk upon wood-instead of -upon metal. The uppcr'si'de of'the strip3lmay' well carry a prod him and thus: prevent exit. entrapped"311111191 finds i that he K is caged and cannot reach the bait, heseeks to leave the block 32 which ,prevents any trapped rat trom forcing"either of the walls 4: toward the other to an excessive extent, whichmight permit one to catch on the other.

By providing the construction shown and described or a substantialequivalent thereof, a comparatively simple and inexpensive trap isprovided, 'yetone which will be ex ceptionally eilicient and sanitary.WVhen the trap is baited-and'the door 17stands=in its/raised -position,th-e device is in readiness for operation. Any rat or otheraninial forwhich "the trap 1 is set, when seeking the bait in =the=holder 25, willwedge its way:inwardlythroughthe walls at, but if he attempts to backout between these walls, *thewires at-the in-ner end-sot the latter willWhen'the cage byepassingalongthe -tunnel-, under theagate and enters theauxiliarycage- 1 5 through the registering doors 1'3 and 16. Once i-nthis cage, he will climb to the elevated floor '19 and in a'greatdnajorityct instances, "will remain-atthis point. "-When anynumber otrats 'or'the like, have'been trapped in'the-cage 1*5, th'e doorl'r' maybe closed' an'd said cageremoved and immersed in water to drown'the prey. Nhen =the dead' anima'ls are removed, andythe door 17 leftopen, the cage 15 is reinserted into the cage 1 and the trap is=inreadiness'for furth'er use.

On account of theexcellent results which have been obtained from thedetails d isclosed, these details are preterably fo-llowed, but withinthe scope of'the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may bemade. 7

Iclann: 1. hatrapacomprismg a woven wirecage having an open end, apair-of vertical woven wire walls converging inwardly from said open endof the cage and having their outer ends n abuttingrelation with opposedvertical side "walis'otthe eagewlnle their inner ends are i horizontallyspaced, the outer end portions of said converging walls having lateral'horlz'ontai flanges contacting with i said flanges'to their" innerextremities to 'permit them to be sprr'm'g tre'ely outward by a laterother 'ani-inal entering the trap, a pair of vertical tubes spacedoutwardly from the inner en'd portrons otsa'id converging walls to limitthe outward movement thereof,=t he ends of said-tallies 'abuttingthe toandbottomofthe ca'ge to preventthem trom'movthe horizontal :part-ition21,-"and he raises f ing inwardly against and interfering with operationof said converging walls, and wires passing through said tubes andconnected with the cage top and bottom to tie said top and bottomagainst spreading and to retain said tubes in place.

2. A trap comprising a woven Wire cage having an inlet, a pair of springwalls converging inwardly therefrom, and a pair of vertical tubes at theouter side of said walls to limit their outward movement, said tubesabutting the top and bottom of the cage to prevent them from movinginwardly and interfering with operation of said walls, and wires passingthrough said tubes and connected with the top and bottom of the cage tohold said tubes in place and to tie said top and bottom againstspreading.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto at fixed my signature.

JOHN P. SCHUCKMAN.

